Press Coverage

USA still in search of win at 2012 Women's World Championship
March 18, 2012
Despite its shaky start to the 2012 Ford World Women's Championship, Team USA remains optimistic that a string of wins is in their near future. Allison Pottinger and Team USA suffered its third straight loss as China out-dueled them, 8-4, tonight at the Enmax Centre.

The veteran rink of Pottinger (Eden Prairie, Minn.), Nicole Joraanstad (Verona, Wis.), Natalie Nicholson (Bemidji, Minn.) and Tabitha Peterson (Eagan, Minn.) understand that it is a long week of games but realize that they must start putting together some wins if they hope to be part of the four-team playoff field come Friday.

"We're just so close to putting it all together," said Joraanstad, 31, who is making her seventh world championship appearance. "I know tomorrow we're going to go out and play strong again. I really feel like it's going to start coming into place. It's not a sprint, it's a marathon. There are 11 round robin games. Even three losses isn't going to deter us from going out there, playing hard and getting those W's and seeing where things shake out at the end of the week."

To read the full press release, click on the PDF below.

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf iconusa_china.pdf

Top seeded teams start with wins at 2012 Mixed Championship
March 17, 2012
The defending champs continued their winning ways as the 2012 USA Curling Mixed National Championship got underway tonight at the four-sheet Portage Curling Club. The top four-seeded teams all came away with victories as the weeklong tournament began in Portage, Wis.

Washington's Brady Clark rink, seeking its fourth straight title, got off to a fast start with a 13-7 win over Ohio's Nik Geller rink. Clark (Lynnwood, Wash.) and teammates Cristin Clark (Lynnwood, Wash.), Sean Beighton (Seattle) and Bev Walter (Seattle) scored four points in the third end to break open a 1-1 game and put it into cruise control thereafter.

Alaska's Steve Shuttleworth rink, the No. 2 seed coming into the event, earned an 8-3 victory over Michigan's Christopher Doremus rink. The Fairbanks Curling Club squad scored in the first three ends and never trailed in the first-round match.

To read the complete press release, click on the PDF below.

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf iconmixed1.pdf

Canada gets by USA, 8-7
March 17, 2012
Allison Pottinger and Team USA showed that they came to play as they took the Canadian national champs to the final stone before coming up short in an 8-7 loss tonight at the 2012 Ford World Women's Championship.

Things were looking very promising for Team USA through seven ends at the Enmax Centre but the luck o' the Irish was shining down on Canada's Heather Nedohin rink on today's St. Patrick holiday.

"Really it came down to an error in the eighth end," said Pottinger, who moved to the U.S. from at age 18. "If we get our one there in the eighth end it's 5-5 going into the ninth against Team Canada. We're more than happy with that. You know, even as it was, she had to throw her last rock. No, it wasn't the hardest shot in the whole wide world to do a 3-foot runback, but she had to throw it and we made her make it. We're not ashamed by any means. We're ready to come back out."

Pottinger (Eden Prairie, Minn.) and teammates Nicole Joraanstad (Verona, Wis.), Natalie Nicholson (Bemidji, Minn.) and Tabitha Peterson (Eagan, Minn.) won the opening end battle between the Canadians and the Americans by forcing Nedohin to come around the center guard and make a takeout of the U.S. stone in the back of the four-foot. Team Canada was hoping for a roll to blank the end but didn't have enough weight on the delicate takeout and scored one.

To read the complete press release, click on the PDF below.

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf iconusa_canada.pdf

USA aiming for podium at 2012 Women's Worlds
March 13, 2012
Allison Pottinger and Team USA will begin their journey toward the top of the podium as the 2012 Ford World Women's Championship gets underway Saturday at the Enmax Centre in Lethbridge, Alberta.

Twelve teams will contend for the world title as well as 2014 Olympic Winter Games qualifying points. This is the first event for nations to begin earning 2014 Olympic points. Based on cumulative points earned for their finishes at the 2012 and 2013 women's championships, the top seven countries (host Russia receives an automatic entry), will earn spots at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. The final two nations for the 2014 Olympic Games will be determined at the World Curling Federation Olympic Qualifying Event in December 2013. All nations that have competed at the 2011, 2012 and 2013 World Championships will be eligible to compete in the qualifying event if they have not already secured a spot at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

The 2012 Women's World Championship round robin gets underway at 2 p.m. MT Saturday. Pottinger (Eden Prairie, Minn.) and her team of Nicole Joraanstad (Verona, Wis.), Natalie Nicholson (Bemidji, Minn.), Tabitha Peterson (Eagan, Minn.) and Cassie Potter (St. Paul, Minn.) begin play against host Canada at 7 p.m. Saturday. They are coached by Derek Brown, USA Curling's director of high performance.

To read the complete press release, click on the PDF below.

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf iconpreview.pdf

Portage set to host 2012 Mixed National Championship
March 12, 2012
Portage, Wis., will host the 2012 USA Curling Mixed National Championship, which gets underway Saturday at the four-sheet Portage Curling Club.

Ten teams have qualified through a regional playdown system to vie for the mixed championship title. Washington's Brady Clark rink is the defending champion and have earned the No. 1 seed to start the competition. Last year's victory by Brady Clark was his eighth overall title, a USA Curling record, and third straight.

Alaska's Steve Shuttleworth rink has earned the No. 2 seed and looks to improve upon last year's runner-up finish. Rounding out the top four in seeding is Scott Edie's rink from Maryland and Steve Day's Wisconsin team. The event kicks off with an opening ceremony at 4 p.m. Saturday followed by the first round of action at 6:30 p.m.

To read the complete press release, click on the PDF below.

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf iconpreview.pdf

Washington women capture 2012 Club Nationals title
March 10, 2012
Em Good and the Washington ladies won the region's first-ever gold medal at the Club Nationals as Good's Granite Curling Club team defeated Shelly Kinney of Minnesota, 7-6, this afternoon at the 2012 USA Curling Club National Championship in Mankato, Minn.

Good clinched the gold medal with a last-rock takeout to score three points for the win at the Mankato Curling Club. Good (Seattle) and teammates Jill Lamberts (Seattle), Jennifer Westhagen (Seattle) and Hannah Volkman (Shoreline, Wash.) upgraded to gold after a silver-medal finish last year.

In the bronze medal game, North Dakota's Beth Bohlman rink defeated California's Gabrielle Coleman, 7-6. Bohlman defeated Kinney last year for the bronze medal as well.

To read the complete press release, click on the PDF below.

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf iconw_final.pdf

Minnesota's Wald rink wins 2012 Club Nationals title
March 10, 2012
Two-time junior champion Aaron Wald of Minnesota led his team to a gold-medal victory over Seattle's Doug Kauffman tonight at the Mankato Curling Club as the 2012 USA Curling Club National Championships came to a close in Mankato, Minn.

Wald's Bemidji Curling Club teammates Trevor Andrews, Josh Bahr and Atticus Wallace (all of Bemidji, Minn.) earned the 9-5 win and their first Club Nationals title. This is Minnesota's fifth overall win and third straight at this event, which began in 2005. Greg Wilson's team from Illinois had to go to an extra end to defeat Roger Smith's North Dakota squad, 9-8, for the bronze medal.

To read the full press release, click on the PDF below.

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf iconm_final.pdf

WA, MN to square off in women's final at 2012 Club Nationals
March 9, 2012
Minnesota and Washington will play for gold in tomorrow's women's final of the 2012 USA Curling Club National Championships at the Mankato Curling Club in Mankato, Minn.

Minnesota's Shelly Kinney and Washington's Em Good led their teams to semifinal victories this afternoon and will now meet in tomorrow's gold medal game at 10 a.m. This is the first appearance in the final for Kinney, who finished fourth last year, and second straight appearance in the final for Good's team, who lost a close gold-medal game to New Jersey last year.

To read the complete press release, click on the PDF below.

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf iconw_semis.pdf